


Before I Knew You

by Denrhea



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Christophe Giacometti is a Good Friend, M/M, POV Victor Nikiforov, Pining Victor Nikiforov, Post-adolescence, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 08:12:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15945323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denrhea/pseuds/Denrhea
Summary: The years before Victor met Yuuri didn't mean that the Japanese skater hadn't caught his eye.





	Before I Knew You

**Author's Note:**

> This is a quick little story I dabbled with a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for the beta, Magrathea and BluSkates. Hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

 

 

Victor stood next to Yakov in Sofia, Bulgaria, at Junior Worlds on assistant coach duty because he’d injured himself at the Grand Prix Final that year.   At least his friend Chris had taken the gold when he couldn’t. Twenty-year-old Victor appeared to be focused, but in fact he was daydreaming. About a boy.  He never talked about those daydreams. Russia preferred to promote him as a playboy with a movie star personality, drawing the attention of a number of women.  He could care less about the women, but image was everything. Image signed his paycheck.

 

The boy in question skated across the ice, his raven hair pushed back, blue rimmed glasses framing a pair of cinnamon eyes.  Those glasses would disappear when he took the ice for competition, but this was just practice. He was too young. A baby really.  And Victor felt guilty about the direction some of his thoughts took him.

 

A bump into his shoulder brought his attention to the curly headed Swiss that was quickly becoming his best friend.  “What are you thinking about?” The younger skater had joined him to scope out the future competition.

 

“Things that could get me arrested in some countries,” Victor stated under his breath.  He heard Chris snort in response.

 

Nodding to the ravenette in question, Chris stated, “Japan’s hopeful, Yuuri Katsuki.”

 

“Da...he’s...he’s…”

 

“You can say adorable,” Chris finished, amusement lacing his voice.

 

Victor shook his head.  “I can  _ think  _ adorable...saying it could cost me endorsements, could cost me my country’s support.”

 

His friend sighed before shrugging.  “There’s nothing stopping me from saying it.  Look at that ass.”

 

Victor had to admit that Yuuri’s ass was the only rival for his very fine eyes.   _ Shit!  The boy is sixteen!  _  “I’m going to jail,” Victor stated under his breath.

 

Chris laughed softly.  “He’ll grow. I’ve competed against him.  Can’t wait for him to transition to seniors.”

 

* * *

  
  
  


Two years passed by and Victor quietly sought out every competition video of the Japanese skater.  Every interview. He’d stare transfixed at those cinnamon eyes, the tentative answers to interview questions interrupted by small bursts of confidence.  

 

“Chriiiis…”  They were at Nebelhorn.  In his last season, Yuuri transitioned up to seniors with a bang, breaking Victor’s Junior World Record.  The older skater knew at that moment he was in love.

 

The Swiss laughed.  “He’s legal after November no matter where you live.”

 

_ Eighteen.  In November.  I can wait. _  Still, the young skater was nervous in the most beautiful of ways.  He would chew his lower lip, wear a permanent blush on his cheeks, brown eyes surveying the room with caution. _  I would kill to put lipgloss on those lips.  And lick it away with a kiss.  _ It was Victor’s turn to blush.  He smiled as he watched Yuuri talk with one of the coaches.   _ Celestino, huh...is that his new coach? _  Victor pulled out his phone and started looking up the skater’s stats.   _ Sure enough.  Celestino is working with Yuuri, and the young Japanese skater is planning to move to Detroit once he graduates high school. _

 

That made Victor pause.   _ High school.  Dammit! I really am going to jail. _  Victor had just changed majors for the tenth time at university.  Twenty-two, and he still hadn’t graduated. In his defense, he took a light load in competition season.  He also changed his major ten...no, make that eleven times.

 

He worried, though.  He didn’t know what life after ice held and it scared him.

 

Yuuri turned his direction and Victor quickly busied himself.  He could hear Chris chuckling next to him. “You should talk to the boy,” his friend teased.

 

Victor flicked his eyes over to catch those hazel ones.  “You must be daft!”

 

Chris just laughed at his struggle.  “Eight...teeeeen...November…” he sang.

 

“Why are we friends?”

 

Chris tapped out on his phone the answer.

 

**Chris/ Because someone needs to stand behind your closetlife gay ass.**

 

_ Fair. _  Victor’s lip twitched in amusement before he replied.

 

**Victor/ One day I’ll kiss him on open ice.**

 

**Chris/ I’d pay good money to see that.**

 

Victor hid his phone but Chris could see his smile.  Not the veneer smile he used for the press, but his true smile.  It was a gift. 

 

* * *

  
  


Yuuri worked his way through the challenger series, and Victor saw that he was in the top three for Japan.  He was their backup. Daisuke Takahashi and Takahiko Kozuka held their own. But Victor watched Yuuri’s skating as he edged closer to the front.   _ Soon _ .

 

* * *

  
  
  


Worlds, Victor faced off with Daisuke and Takahiko along with others like Patrick Chan of Canada.  He stood in lead. Chris moved into second. “You look good in silver,” Victor commented.

 

Hazel eyes flicked his direction.  “Until I get gold,” he challenged.

 

Glancing over at Patrick, he smiled warmly.  “Good skate.”

 

Patrick chuckled warmly.  “A quad flip?”

 

Victor shrugged.  “Someone had to ratify it.”

 

“That makes three for you,” the Canadian returned.

 

“You’re not far behind with your two,” Victor commented.

 

* * *

 

Victor read the fan updates.  Yuuri Katsuki, now training at the Detroit Skate Club in the United States while attending university.  Several fan sightings caught pictures of the skater on campus and he looked...relaxed. One was taken at a party, Yuuri holding a red solo cup while talking with some other guys.  Then later, a picture of a girl hugging him for a selfie. This gave Victor pause. It never occured him to question whether or not Yuuri was into guys.  _ Shit!  What if...I would fall for a straight man! _

 

More pictures showed up, and Victor couldn’t decide which direction Yuuri leaned.  The pictures were all casual, nothing suggesting anything beyond acquaintances or friends.  Still, Victor was jealous. He wanted to be in that mix.

 

And Victor still hadn’t settled on a major.  Looking up Yuuri’s published profile, he could see that Yuuri was studying something serious.  Physiology...with an emphasis on biotechnology.  _ Shit!   _ How was he going to compare with that?

 

It wasn’t that Victor wasn’t smart.  It was more that everything came easy so he didn’t know how to choose.  He...grew bored. As boredom set in, he changed majors. Yakov was no help.  He simply told Victor, “You skate...and when you retire, you coach.” Things were simple to the old man.  Not so simple to Victor.

 

* * *

  
  


Worlds came around once again.  Yuuri now nineteen stood waiting to compete.  Daisuke had retired the previous year. Yuuri stood waiting still in his shadow, however.  Victor heard Takahiko was planning to leave soon. Yuuri stood waiting to take their place and to bear the weight of the other two skaters.  Victor wasn’t sure if he was ready. He looked nervous. Resolved but...nervous.

 

“What’s wrong with him?” he asked Chris under his breath.

 

Chris studied the young man before tapping out the answer.  The press would have a field day if they ever got one of the skaters’ phones.

 

**Chris/ Generalized Anxiety Disorder**

 

Victor raised an eyebrow.  Nodding to Yuuri, he turned questioning eyes to Chris.

 

**Chris/ My coach was talking to his.  They are looking at medication. Apparently it’s bad.**

 

**Victor/ I’ve seen pictures of him on campus.  He looked shy at worst.**

 

**Chris/ It could be tied to performance.**

 

Victor made a note to research the topic.  Once he was up in his room, he had up the first article on GAD.   One article lead to another down the Google rabbit hole and soon Victor found a connection to the skater.  It showed him choking at an earlier competition with the words,  _ Will Japan’s Ace Be Able to Perform? _  Victor hated that article.  Taking note of the reporter, he vowed to avoid their questions from that moment forward.

 

* * *

  
  


After Worlds, Victor found himself drifting back to those words.  Generalized Anxiety Disorder. He enrolled in another Psychology class.  By the end of fall, he declared his major once more. Performance and Sports Psychology.  Yakov told him it was just a glorified coaching degree. He wasn’t wrong, but it gave him the insight he needed into Yuuri’s world.  He wrote his next paper on Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Performance Anxiety. 

 

As Victor typed away, eyes flicking between his research and the latest video of Yuuri skating across his television, he wished Yuuri was in the Grand Prix Series, but the younger man still focused on the smaller competitions, his scores not quite bringing him into the fold.  

 

_ Soon, Yuuri.  I want to skate with you. _

 

* * *

  
  


Yuuri now twenty, held the gold for Nebelhorn.  Only to fall flat on his face at the Japan Open.  Yuuri froze up at that point for Nationals and Japan didn’t send anyone to Worlds.  Victor skated ferociously for the event, his expression a storm. He took gold, Chris sitting twenty points below with silver.

 

“I hate to see you mad,” Chris muttered as they prepared to meet the press.

 

Victor groaned.  “He’s good enough.  He should be here. It just…”

 

“He’s inconsistent since he’s reached seniors,” the other skater observed.

 

Victor huffed.  He didn’t want to hear this.  He wanted to hear of Yuuri’s successes.

 

Victor went home, curling up with his poodle Makkachin.  “I feel like I’m moving further away from Yuuri. I want to be closer.  I want...to hold him, to reassure him of his talent, of...of...my love.”  They spent the evening watching video of Yuuri skating, Makkachin very familiar with the younger skater, her eyes following his form even as her master’s eyes did the same.

 

_ Beautiful… _

 

* * *

  
  


Victor didn’t see Yuuri make much movement up the ranks the following year, although he did perform in a number of international competitions.  He held no golds, although there were several silvers and bronzes. That seemed to frustrated the twenty-one year old. Then he was injured, disappearing from the skating world for the first few months of the new year.

 

Victor focused on his competitions and gained another gold for Russia.  He worked on his next program. His next surprise for the audience. 

 

And Victor had another annoyance.  Consequently by the same name. Yuri Plisetsky.  Thirteen. Brilliant for sure, but very much the brat.  His mother had been some kind of starlet. However, she now seemed focused on her son’s career, pushing him to achieve what she did not.  

 

He walked in on Yakov lecturing the boy on trying quads too soon.  Victor chuckled and told him to focus on his triples. “You can win without the quads.”

 

“But you did them,” the child argued.

 

It was true, but there was a cost.  He lost a season out of his impetuousness.  Victor suspected that sharing his story would do nothing but challenge the boy to try and better him.  “I tell you what, win Junior Worlds without the quads, and I’ll choreograph your senior debut.”

 

The boy’s chin was set.  “You’re on! Don’t you forget, old man!”

 

_ Old man?  When did I become an old man?  I’m only twenty-five. _

  
  


* * *

  
  


Victor read the Grand Prix assignments.  Finally! Yuuri would be joining him! He could almost dance and he knew his program was perfect.  A love song calling out to his gay lover. Subtle, but Yuuri spoke music. His body moved as if he was made of music.  He’d understand the message. Victor was certain.

 

His only frustration lay in the fact that Victor wouldn’t meet Yuuri until the Final.  Victor tapped his foot impatiently at that. “He has to make the Final, Makka,” he whined receiving a yelp in reply.  Victor knelt down to pet the poodle, giving her a good scratch behind the ears. “I’ve waited so long,” he whispered.

 

* * *

  
  
  


The Final was a disaster.  Victor watched Yuuri unravel and could remember all of his course studies on anxiety.  Something was definitely wrong, but Victor feared that he’d throw him off further if he spoke to the younger skater before the competition.

 

They were walking down the hallway after the press gauntlet when Victor saw Yuuri off to the side.  This was his moment. Victor stepped forward and dug around for an opening line. “Would you like a commemorative photo?”

 

Victor’s eyes widened as he watched Yuuri back off so quickly tripping over his own feet.  As the younger skater disappeared, Victor couldn’t help the disappointment in his face. “Why’d he run?”

 

The blonde Junior Champion beside him huffed.  “Because he’s a loser! Now...about my senior debut…”

 

Victor waved him off.  “We’ll talk about that after we get to Russia.”  He knew his voice sounded distracted but Yuuri had just slipped through his fingers and he was grabbing straws on how to get him back.

 

* * *

  
  


Victor stood bored next to Chris at the banquet.  He had just recounted the encounter when they spotted Yuuri at the table.  “Oh, my...he’s...had so much to drink.”

 

“Drowning his tears in alcohol?” Chris suggested.

 

“Don’t be an ass.  He’s upset for sure...but I think there might be something more to it.”

 

However, Victor soon learned that alcohol fueled Yuuri’s courage and as the alcohol thickened Yuuri’s accent, he listened to the beautiful young man as he asked, “Will you be my coach, Victor?  Come to Hasetsu where my parents run a hot spring.”

 

_ Coach?  Hasetsu?   _ Victor blinked in surprise but found himself considering it.  He’d finished his degree. Finally. A Master’s in Performance and Sports Psychology.  After winning five consecutive years worth of Grand Prix Gold, and four Worlds, he was ready for a new challenge.  Coach...his Yuuri. Victor smiled and answered, “I’d love to coach you. Let me give you my number.”

 

* * *

  
  


Two months passed by and Yuuri never called.  Victor cried on Chris’ shoulder at the European Championships and the younger skater simply stated, “The boy was drunk off his ass.  He probably didn’t realize you put your number in his phone.”

 

“You’d think he’d notice!”

 

“Do you know how many fans have put their numbers in my phone?  I just go to my favorites list. I bet he hardly ever looks at the other list.”

  
  
  


At Worlds, Victor sent one more cry out to Yuuri.  _  Stammi Vicino.  Stay close to me, my Yuuri.  Never let me go. _

 

Victor was back in his apartment when he received his answer.  Yuuri skating his program in reply. Victor’s eyes widened. It was...beautiful.  It was...perfect. Then Victor’s eyes narrowed.  _ It was perfect!  What. The. Actual.  Fuck. Why weren’t you with me at Worlds?  _  He closed his eyes, decision already made, his brain making a mental list of what he needed.  Echoes of “be my coach” in his thoughts with each added article to his luggage.

 

“Makka, we’re going to Japan!”  The dog barked happily in reply.  Victor moved around the apartment as he started packing, calling the airlines, booking tickets, working on other paperwork.  Finally, he called his coach. “Ummm, Yakov?”


End file.
